Curfew enforcement up to protect the public and, yes, teenagers

Although teens may complain about Hennepin County’s curfew law, it’s enforced because authorities, and parents, know nothing good happens late at night. With school out, enforcement has been stepped up.

Alan D. Young used to ignore the curfew rules, which vary according to age and day of the week, but he is a believer now.About a year-and-a-half ago, when Young was 16, he was out after 11 p.m., walking around downtown with his friends. He was by the bus stop at Nicollet Avenue and Seventh Street when a Minneapolis police squad drove by, took a look and then turned the spotlight on his group.

“They take you all the way downtown, you get your picture taken, your fingers, and then you wait for your parents,” Young remembered recently. “If they don’t pick up the phone because they’re sleeping, you’ve got to wait until they pick up the phone. I was there until 5 a.m.”